Falke model 70: Part 2

Falke model 70 is a quality breakbarrel spring-piston rifle from the 1950s.

Today, I’ll test the velocity of the .177-caliber Falke model 70 breakbarrel. In its day, which was the early 1950s, this rifle was rated at 450 f.p.s. But pellets have improved a lot since that time, and I also believe this powerplant has been rebuilt. So, the numbers may not be the same as a factory gun.

Crosman Premier
The first pellet I tested was the 7.9-grain Crosman Premier lite. For the first test, I seated the pellet flush; but given the probable power range of this rifle, I felt that some deep-seating would also be worth trying. Premier lites averaged 634 f.p.s. in the initial test (seated flush). The range went from a low of 621 f.p.s. to a high of 646 f.p.s. So, the spread was 25 f.p.s. That’s not bad, but I’ve certainly seen better. At the average velocity, this pellet generated 7.05 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.

Next, I tried the same pellet seated deep with the Air Venturi Pellet Seater. This time, the average velocity climbed up to 651 f.p.s., with a spread from 640 to 660 f.p.s. So, greater velocity and less variation with this pellet seated deep. At the average velocity, this deep-seated pellet generated 7.44 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.

RWS Hobby
The next pellet I tested was the RWS Hobby. This one I seated deep from the start. The average velocity was 704 f.p.s., and the range went from a low of 684 f.p.s. to a high of 721 f.p.s. That’s a spread of 37 f.p.s. in just 10 shots, which is getting a little large! At the average velocity, this pellet generated 7.71 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.

Because the velocity spread was so large, I figured I would also test this pellet seated flush. But after shooting just 4 shots, I had a velocity variation of 49 f.p.s., so I stopped. Obviously, the Hobby doesn’t like to be seated flush in the Falke 70.

H&N Baracuda Match
The last pellet I tried was the heavy H&N Baracuda Match. Weighing 10.65 grains, this pellet might seem too heavy for a spring rifle in this power class, but I’ve seen pellets like this shoot very well in some of these guns. In case that happened here during the accuracy test, I wanted to have the velocity on record. These pellets were seated flush.

Baracuda Match pellets averaged 508 f.p.s. in the Falke, and the spread went from a low of 503 to a high of 515. That’s just 12 f.p.s. — the tightest spread of the test. Because they’re so tight when seated flush, I decided to not bother testing them seated deep. I’m pretty sure I will shoot them seated flush.

At the average velocity, this pellet generated 6.10 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. So, the Falke 70 followed the classic spring gun pattern of heavy pellets being less efficient and light pellets being the most efficient.

Trigger-pull
The single-stage trigger is adjustable, but the adjustment is of the sear-contact area type. So, I’m leaving it alone. It’s light enough as it is right now, breaking at just 1 lb., 15 oz. The letoff is vague, but the pull is free from creep, so the rifle doesn’t move around a lot when you shoot.

Cocking effort
I mentioned in part 1 that the rifle seems to cock easily until the last part of the stroke, when the effort rises significantly. Well, the scale confirmed it. The first part of the stroke is 20 lbs., then the effort spikes up to 37 lbs. to complete the stroke. It’s way more than one might expect from a rifle in this class. That leads me to suspect that an aftermarket mainspring has been installed in an effort to increase the power. I may have to correct that some time, as it’s just too much effort for a plinker like this.

Rear sight
Blog reader RidgeRunner asked me if the rear sight blade had a small spring under it, so I took it apart and told him I would provide a picture of the assembly in this report. Not only did I find the spring he was talking about, I also saw that the elevation wheel is marked off with numbers, so you can keep track of adjustments!

The rear sight blade slides into the base, and the elevating wheel fits into the cutout. The spring fits inside the hollow elevating wheel.

I didn’t notice these reference numbers before taking apart the rear sight. They allow you to record and track your elevation adjustments. Airgunners love neat little features like this!

Seeing those numbers on the elevation wheel made me smile. They’re so unobtrusive and easy to overlook. They’re an airgunner’s version of a secret garden. It’s like knowing how the Coke machines get filled at Santa’s workshop!

Overall impression
Overall, I like this rifle very much. It holds well, locks up tight at the breech, thanks to the breech lock, and the firing behavior is smooth. I even like the trigger. I have a feeling this one will be a keeper!

67 thoughts on “Falke model 70: Part 2”

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you don’t want to keep that thing. You want it to be a birthday present for RidgeRunner. You know this is just exactly what he would like to have.

Seriously, that is sweet. I so hate it when you do these reports on these old air rifles. Then everybody starts realizing how nice these old things are and start snatching them up before I have a chance and by the time I get there the price of what is still out there has climbed to the point that my meager earnings will not allow me to own one. It makes me so sad.

It does sound like you could stand to put a lighter spring in that thing. Speaking of which, where is a good place to get springs?

By the way, I would not mind getting a nice spring compressor for my birthday either.

Vortek is another good place. They don’t have as wide a selection of springs that ARH has, but they make top notch tune kits with custom guides for the most common high end guns (Air Arms, Weihrauch, Diana). They also carry a number of different stock spring sizes to choose from to match other springs you need as closely as possible.

I’m one of those airgun nutjobs that greatly appreciates nifty little features like reference numbers on the elevation wheel. The breech lock, finger grooves in the stock and locking notches in the pivot bolt head on this Falke 70 are also nice touches. Terrific little package.

Hi BB, loved reading about this. I had a Daisy break barrel circa 1972 or so. It was also a youth model, in .22 cal. It was not terribly powerful but good enough to take rabbits and it was very accurate. I shot thousands and thousand of pellets through it until it wore out the second time after a factory rebuild. I was told it was made by Anschutz (sp?) but have no idea. Anyone know who would have made it? BTW, I’m new to the blog and really enjoy your writing and the reviews, takes me back to my youth. Thanks for taking the time to share all of this great stuff. Eric

BB
I tryed to find my old catalog but I don’t remember were its at. But if it is true that was something ahead of its time for the 70’s and earlier era. Most all guns were pretty well metal and steel back then. Right.

Was there any guns made from material other than wood back then? I don’t know that’s why I ask. And you have seen way more guns than I have I’m sure.

Thank you for the welcome BB and Kevin. I’ll look at the Diana’s, see if I can figure it out. It’s been 40ish years but I do remember the model was 2-digits and said “Model xx”. But I’ll be danged if I can remember what the xx was. I replaced the daisy with a Sheridan Blue Streak w/ Williams peep in 1975. I still have and use that one 🙂

The Pyramyd Air website is down right now, but I wouldn’t recommend a CO2 or green gas long gun. I would recommend a bolt-action springer, like the ones UTG sells. They are reasonably priced and I have found them to be accurate out to 50 yards (human silhouette at that distance). They have good triggers and are generally pretty good guns. And with tighter barrels, they can be made even better.

Perfect ! Santa Barbara County, California, has very concise firearm, pellet gun, BB Gun laws. Since we have moved to the town of old Orcutt I can no longer walk out the front door and welcome the morning launching a few Luger 9mm rounds on 40 acres.
That said, we can shoot indoors in our homes with anything that will not penetrate a wall.
Thank you, Tom.
Pete Hallock

I think I’d be inclined to keep this one too, BB! Cocking effort seems to stack too much though, as you said. Maybe the coils are starting to bind from too long of a spring? I’d bet you won’t lose that much velocity with a milder or shorter spring.

This is a continuation of our discussion yesterday. I’m unsure whether I should post it here or on the TX200 Part 12 blog? I enjoyed your description of the Falke this morning, and don’t want to detract from today’s topic.

First, I appreciate your time and interest in my rifle.

For other readers, I asked B.B. about an accuracy problem with my new .22 caliber TX200, and he asked me to reply with information on vibration, pellets, accuracy and velocity. I’m conscious of boring other readers, and hope everyone will be patient with a fellow shooter, experienced with firearms, but new to air rifles, and perhaps curious as to what might be wrong between my Shooter-Scope-Mount-Rifle-Rest system.

The rifle twanged noticeably when new, and vibrated loose the forend and action screws. Considerable torque and low strength Loctite would not hold the forend screws in place. I never oiled the bore, but the piston seal failed and was repaired by Pyramyd. The reticule broke in the Leupold 3×9 EFR. Groups averaged 1.1″ with a variety of pellets at 25 yards. Power was in the range of 14.5 – 15 fpe.

David Slade tuned the rifle, and I mounted a Hawke Sidewinder in BKL mount and a scope stop. The rifle is now very smooth upon firing.

Accuracy is still a problem. The following five shot, 25 yard groups were fired off a sandbag rest, with the Sidewinder scope, measured center-to-center.

As expected, rifle is slightly less powerful since it was tuned. JSB 15.89 grain pellets now average 626 fps for 13.89 fpe, with 18 fps variation in a ten shot string.

I cleaned the bore with JB Bore paste after it was tuned. The reticule is within 75 percent of its range from mechanical zero. I’ve looked down the muzzle and can’t see obvious evidence of pellets hitting baffles.

Also, the rifle doesn’t hold zero from day to day, often wandering one to two inches at 25 yards. I’m constantly rezeroing the rifle.

As you requested, I removed the barreled action from the stock. Everything looks good. Really good. The screws were all tight. There is no evidence of rubbing or movement, and the quality of the inletting is superb. Why are high quality air rifles not glass or pillar bedded?

Pushing a pellet through the barrel from the muzzle turned out to be a problem for me. I dropped a soft JSB pellet through the false muzzle, tried to align it with first baffle, and pushed it through with a cleaning rod. The pellet went easily through the bore. The base of the pellet was deformed by the tip of the slotted jag (I can’t find my pointed jag), and the result was inconclusive. There was some obvious engraving of the pellet’s skirt by the lands, but I was surprised to see the front of the pellet was not engraved. Are the noses of pellet’s bore diameter, and only the skirts engraved by the rifling? I tried to push a few more pellets through the bore, but they ended up deformed and sideways. For fear of damaging the baffles, I stopped.

What little of the rifle’s bore I can see with a flashlight looks shiny and uniform.

I realize this is like diagnosing a car’s electrical problem over the telephone, and appreciate your time.

You have done everything I asked and I am ready to proceed. Good for you!

First, Beeman Crow Magnum pellets are not good at 25 yards. Despite what you have seen, I would stop using them. They are too variable.

Second, I am surprised that the pellet nose wasn’t at least partially engraved by the rifling. But it wasn’t, so that means the bore on your rifle is on the large side. That means that you want to use pellets that have large heads, which are usually marked on the bottom of the tins in millimeters.

Third, I am not following you about your scope’s adjustment. The way I read it, it is adjusted up too high.

Here is what I want you to do. Dial in 80 clicks of down elevation into the scope and shoot at 20 yards with the best pellet you have. If you want to make it 25 yards you can, but there is no need to. Use a target paper that is long enough to see the group that lands 12-14-inches below the aim point.

What I’m checking for is a barrel that has excessive droop. By dialing in the down elevation I can be certain the scope is within its good adjustment range.

If you get good groups like this, we will know what to do next. Please shoot several groups, so we know for sure.

I’ll make that test as soon as the weather improves. Too windy today for precision shooting, and too cold for me.

I’ve counted ~330 clicks total vertical adjustment available in the Hawke Sidewinder scope. From where it’s currently zeroed, I counted 116 “up” clicks to the limit of the scope’s adjustment, so as zeroed, the scope seems reasonably close to mechanical zero.

I’ll call Pyramyd and order pellets with larger head diameter. Any thoughts on brand and diameter I might try?

That was my first PCP gun and I have been hooked on PCP ever since. I like other types of airguns but PCP are so smooth when they shoot. And I can’t remember when they first came out. But I have had mine since then. And my hand pump still works fine.

I have a Discovery in .177 They are fantastic little PCPs. Svelte, light, easy to shoulder.There is beauty in the simplicity of the gun. There is an entire cottage industry devoted to modifying/customizing them.

I’d like to have a TKO brake, but I am concerned they might be considered illegal firearm silencers, though they are clearly not intended for firearms.

I regularly shoot firearms on my six acre property, and no one ever complained about noise. But I want to be a good neighbor, and I want others to enjoy their weekend while I’m enjoying mine. I like shooting my TX200. I don’t have to wear hearing protection, and one has to listen to me while I’m shooting. I think the Discovery will be quiet enough (quieter than a .22LR, I hope) that it won’t matter. Still, I’d like it quieter. It’s unfortunate firearm silencers are restricted and honest people are afraid of how vague laws might be interpreted.

Greetings Fellow Airgunners
I sure do admire your Falke 70 airgun. Everything about it exudes a quality and dedication to detail that is sorely lacking in today’s offering of airguns. The Weihrauch HW35, and Walther LGV series are the only airguns I can think of that are available today, and include all the features your Falke 70 boasts. Either model would set a guy back over $500.00 in either Canadian or American funds.
I was asked to advise a 19 year old son of a friend on the purchase an air rifle for under $200.00. He had seen a few offerings for sale at our big box store (Canadian Tire), and wanted me to go with him to choose a good one. I showed him what was available on- line, and advised him if he was willing to wait 4-5 days for shipping, to order a Diana 240 classic in .177 for $189.00. I had not seen one up close, but was going on recommendations from you and other blog readers. When the Diana 240 came, I was stunned by the quality and attention to detail. It was all meticulously finished wood and steel, with just the safety and trigger guard made of plastic. It has fibre optic sights, but I was still able to shoot a half inch group of 10 JSB RS Exacts at 71/2 meters. The trigger was a hair over 2 lbs, and looks to be the TO5 model that was available on all Diana’s before being replaced by the T06 a year ago. The Diana 240 Classic is just so much better then what is available from big box stores. So, because of you guy’s recommendations, we now have a very satisfied 19 year old future airgun addict. Thanks for the help.
Ciao
Titus

I wish the Diana 2X0 series with T05/6 triggers were imported into the US by somebody. They (presumably Umarex) made a half-hearted attempt with the “Schuetze” (sp? I think that is what it was called) but the trigger was pretty monstrously stiff and probably nobody bought them, so they gave up on the concept; at least that is my speculation. I’ve seen reports on YF about 270 or 280’s (not sure which, but slightly bigger than the smallest model) with T0x triggers, and they seemed like they would be a treat to shoot. I am still coming to terms with my 34. If I decide to keep it “forever”, I am going to detune it a bit. The cocking effort is not bad, but pretty high at that for the power output (compared to my clunk 36-2) due (in my opinion) to the non-articulated cocking lever, and I think it would be a little more charming with an “Old School” tune. Maybe just a JM spring would make the difference!

From the Eskimos they eat!(pies that is.)
Nah seriously though
They use plug nickels,or in their case thinly sliced icicle rings.
Everybody knows they’re doing it but who’s gonna argue with
a Polar bear that is also a caffeine junky 🙂

In the first report you stated, “The rear sight blade sits loose in the rear sight base, which may affect accuracy when I shoot the gun.”

Now that you have taken apart the rear sight, and the tensioning spring was indeed there, what was wrong with it? Why was the blade loose? Was it adjusted too far one way or the other? Is the rear sight blade now tight in the mount? If so, what was the fix?

The rear sight blade sits in a machined notch in the rear sight base. The clearance is too large and the blade is free to move. The spring doesn’t provide enough tension to make a difference. It’s worse the higher the blade rises.

Please excuse the fact that this is a change of topic. I am an experienced senior aged retired man who has been shooting air guns since the 50’s. I have an air gun range in my home and want to add my first PCP air rifle to my collection. Most of my shooting is done at 5 and 10 meters. The two “must have’s” is that it is accurate and quiet. My short list is the Marauder and the Air Force Talon SS. I have not shot either of these, but the positive reviews are substantial, including B.B.’s. There is no doubt that both of these rifles are top quality and accurate. The “quiet” part is where I have a concern.

The “loudness rating” for the Marauder is “2-Low-Medium” and the Talon SS is rated 3-Medium. If I were to choose the Talon SS, I would most likely dial it down to shoot at a lower velocity. Does doing this (dialing to a lower velocity) now put the Talon SS on a par with the Marauder as far as quietness? Do any of you have knowledge of additional PCP air rifles that meet these needs?

I realize that there are many 10 meter air rifles that are accurate and very quiet, but I don’t have the budget for one of them. Since I only shoot indoors and do not need to hunt with this rifle, what accessories, including scope and air tanks, do you recommend for getting started with a PCP air rifle of this type?

The Marauder in .177 will be quieter than any airgun you have ever heard. But just because you don’t want to spend a lot of money doesn’t mean you can’t have a 10 meter rifle. What about a Crosman Challenger PCP? That’s a target rifle that runs on compressed air and is extremely accurate at 10 meters. While it’s slightly louder than a Marauder, it isn’t too loud. It’s quieter than some of the more powerful spring rifles.

It has a wonderful trigger and sights that are set up for target shooting. While it costs a little more than a Marauder, it comes with the sights, so there is nothing more to buy except a hand pump. This gun gets well over 100 shots per fill, so a hand pump is certainly workable. I recommend the Hill Pump, simply because it is the most rugged of all those on the market:

Thank you for replying, B.B. Your suggestion is intriguing. I shot a Winchester Model 52 .22 target rifle while on my college ROTC rifle team in the early 60’s. They had a sling and arm cuff and we used shooting jackets. We shot 4 position matches at 50 feet. I loved the rifle but couldn’t afford one for myself. When we shot against other schools, we saw some really fancy target rifles with adjustable stocks, palm rests, etc. The Winchester 52’s could shoot with the best of them.

I have an FWB model 80, a Daisy Avanti 777, and an IZH 46M and an HW75 air pistol that I use to shoot 10 meter targets. The Crosman Challenger would make a nice addition.

I do have an issue that I have to work around. Glaucoma damage in my shooting eye (right), only lets me see a slice of the pie from 1 o’clock to 5 o’clock plus I can still see a small area in the center. Using a 3 X 9 power scope, at the lower power I can see about 2/3 of the view. At the higher power end, I am limited to about half of the view, but I can still see enough of the center of the reticle to shoot with it. I haven’t used an aperture front and rear sight in many years, so don’t know if that would work for me or not.

You might be interested to know that by opening up my in home shooting range to some of my neighbors, I have now convinced many of them to join me in my air gun hobby. One of my neighbors has a woodworking shop and last week, we built 5 boxes to be used as duct seal back stops. We made them large enough to accept the newer 12 X 18″ Birchwood Casey type reactive targets. Several of my converts were opposed to guns, period. After several sessions shooting my air pistols, they have bought their own and are setting up ranges in their garages and there are at least 3 wives that want to learn to shoot, too.

B.B., I appreciate your input and will consider it. If the Crosman Challenger doesn’t work for me, which of the other 2 air rifles would you favor?
Thanks again,
Jerry from Texas

Do you mow the lawn with a push mower, or do you use a rider or pay a lawn service? If you use a push mower, you will probably enjoy a hand pump. If you use a rider or pay a service, get a tank. I don’t recommend a scuba tank, because they empty too fast. I recommend a carbon fiber tank.

I live up by Ft. Worth. You should come to the airgun show in Malvern, AR next April. Lots to see there!

We live on 1.25 acres. I use a rider, so sounds like a tank is in my future. Big difference in price between the carbon fiber tanks. Which do you recommend remembering I do not hunt and it would not go into the field. We drive by the Leander Fire Station every time we go to town, so I will check with them to see if they would be willing to fill it.

What else will I need besides the carbon fiber tank?

I will see if I can make it to the air gun show in Ark. Are there ever any in Texas?
Thanks,
fasride
(Jerry in Texas)

Desertdweller- I have a rifle with the same markings. It was made in Brazil. wonderfull stock, it even has cast off (perhaps it was unintentional, and it is a warped stock. ) Its trigger is worse than the worst trigger I have encountered on Mosin Nagant rifles. It is hard to cock, I had it detuned down to 500 fps levels. My Daisy Gamo 131 shoots 30-50 fps higher , is easier to cock and accepts a Charlie Da Tuner trigger. Both guns shoot most pellets into 3/4 ” at 10 meters. My airgunsmith told me that he could not get me a better trigger pull (Not cost effective ). I keep it because The stock fits me so well. I usually give it to my very special pests (most people call them guests) when they want to shoot air rifles with me. I am also going to use it as a loaner, if anyone wants to borrow one of my air rifles. I removed the front sight and ramp because it was cutting my hand when I cocked it. If your rifle was made in Brazil, and you find someone who can adjust the trigger, please let me know. I am having a machinest make me an extended cocking sleeve ( like my Bronco) and I hope that will make it easier to cock. Ed

I just took a good look at my 600X. It is clearly marked “made in Turkey”.

It has a nice wood stock for a low-priced gun. I remember being rather unimpressed with the gun’s performance. It is hard to cock and has a very stiff trigger. The front sight is hooded on mine. I scoped it with a Tasco 40×9 scope.

Several years ago, I found a few of these guns at a K-Mart in New Mexico. They were marked down to $40. I passed on these, since I really didn’t like the one I had all that much. But the next day, I changed my mind, thinking I could resell them for more than that. Of course, when I went back to the store, they were all gone.

I also have a Daisy-Winchester 1028. This gun is much different than the 600X. It is made in China, is bigger and heavier, and has a better trigger. Better overall, in my opinion.

My middle aged son has finally joined the air gun ranks… a good friend got him to try some pl inking with my Diana 27 and little Hy score. After that he wanted something just a tad more powerful than the 27 in the 8-10fpe range… a poor mans R-9 of sorts:-) If you know me, you know I really only care for low to med. power springers, and I believe that they are very hard to shoot well when they have more power than 8fpe.

I looked and looked, and I really couldn’t find anything in that power range under $160.. or even $225. There is the Bronco in the 6fpe range, but what am I missing in that price point and power range in a decent spring gun?

I knew the 1,000fps plus rigs had taken over the market, but I didn’t know to what extent. What happened?

I ended up with a little more power (the Hansan 95 has around 17-19fpe), than he was looking for, but this Hansan 95 seems like a great bargain… @ $149sh

Sounds like a great adjustable trigger and it has some sort of recoil deadening device.. plus a Turkish walnut stock! … and German barrel??? wow! lots of reviews and mostly all positive. The scope got trashed both in the reviews and on the gun, but it’s really free, and he wants to shoot the open sites anyway. He’s got the Hy score for easy all day pl inking, and said he wants to “get some exercise” when I cautioned about cocking a powerful air rifle all day:-)

I also have a falke.model.70 had it for years. I agree that it is fantastic. You said that you think the sudden increase in power needed to cock the rifle is due to an aftermarket spring. I can tell you that it is not. My model 70 is fully original like the day it came off the factory floor. Nothing on it has ever been replaced and it also needs a increase in power in the last part of the cocking motion.